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Great guitar 'breaks" (as opposed to solos).

Sure, we all love a great guitar solo. In Blues and Rock, the guitarist plays runs and scales he has learned in his pursuit of becoming proficient on his chosen instrument. In Jazz, musicians (including of course guitarists) are given more freedom---the solo does not necessarily have to follow or even be related to the chords of the song (atonality).

But by "guitar "break", I’m speaking of something else. A break was common in Pop music prior to the transformation of Rock ’n’ Roll into Rock in the mid-60’s. A break was usually not much more than a variation of the melody of the song, the guitarist merely taking the place of the vocalist. Sound boring? It doesn’t have to be. Here are my nominees for "Best Guitar Breaks Of All Time":

- James Burton in Ricky Nelson’s "Young World". I imagine many of you have never heard the song, therefore the guitar break. Elvis liked James’ playing so much he stole him away from Ricky, and Roy Orbison had him play in his band at the T-Bone Burnett produced tribute show to Roy. The tone James got out of his Telecaster/Fender combo amp remains as good as it gets. His playing on this song defines "cool".

- George Harrison in "Nowhere Man". Compare this break with that in "Young World"; it is obviously modeled on it. George’s guitar sound is SO awesome on this song; he had switched from his Gretsch Country Gentleman into a Voxx amp sound to the Epiphone Casino into a Fender amp sound. Gone was clean sound, in was tube distortion. The signal from the mic on the amp was obviously heavily compressed (the sustain is insane!), and the resulting sound is just incredible. Dig the last note of the break---George hitting a high harmonic with his finger lightly resting on the string. So cool!

- Steve Cropper in "Green Onions" by Booker T & The MG’s. A master of phrasing, Cropper’s playing on this song (not just in the break) is the model for how to play guitar. Musical, tasteful, economic. Not a note uncalled for, nor unneeded. Good songwriter too ("Dock Of The Bay"). One of Robbie Robertson’s (another very musical guitarist) role models.

- Dave Edmunds in "I Hear You Knocking" (the old Smiley Lewis song) from his debut solo album in 1970. Dave is a great guitarist in many ways (he is the best Chuck Berry-style player I’m aware of. Keith Richards WISHES he could play like Dave), and on this song creates the most intense tension-and-release I’ve ever heard in music. Extremely sexual, extremely exciting. My favorite guitar break until I heard:

- Ry Cooder in "Lipstick Sunset" on John Hiatt’s Bring The Family album. I think this is the best guitar playing I’ve ever heard. I was fortunate enough to see Little Village live (that groups’ lineup was that of the Bring The Family album, John Hiatt being "just" a member. A true supergroup, consisting of Hiatt, Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner. Talk about a Million Dollar Quartet!), and during Ry’s break in "Lipstick Sunset" I experienced the most sublime musical moment in my entire life.

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gosta
839 posts
 
Mick Ronson contributed hugely to a lot of the 70ies Bowie music with his guitar.
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bdp24 OP
9,396 posts
 

@dweller, oh man, Jerry Douglas is one of my favorite musicians, ever! I've seen him with Alison Krauss (the two made a baby together ;-), and went to see him last time he came through Portland. Fantastic!

@whart, I first saw Kirchen live when Commander Cody was playing around San Francisco; great guitarist. Next time you talk to Bill, mention "Paul Skelton". Paul and I were bandmates in San Jose, L.A., and New York, and after relocating to Austin in the late-80's, he and Bill became pals. Paul was (RIP) also a Tele player, and is on all the Wayne Hancock albums (another guitarist I worked with---Evan Johns---took Paul's place in Wayne's band on the road). Paul was also the guitarist in the band of that Austin guy I've been telling you about, Cornell Hurd. Junior Brown has recorded a couple of Cornell's songs.

nicotico
187 posts
 
To add one to the "Great guitar breaks" list: the guitar playing at the end of Joni Mitchell's "Help Me." Larry Carlton,I believe. I will think of others.
nicotico
187 posts
 
Just thought of another one: Lukather's break in Rosanna by Toto. I think a lot of Lukather's playing as a sideman would qualify.
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bdp24 OP
9,396 posts
 

I believe I already mentioned "Walk Through The Fire" by Mary Gauthier (a superb song found on her fantastic Filth & Fire album) in the Tune Of The Day thread. I do so here in regard to the guitar playing of album producer Gurf Morlix, who made his name producing and playing guitar & singing harmony for Lucinda Williams up through and including her Car Wheels On A Gravel Road album.

Gurf’s guitar break on this song (it straddles the line between a break and a true solo) displays his superb abilities at phrasing---the timing of his notes. He is as good at it as anyone I have ever heard, and that includes Ry Cooder, Steve Cropper (Booker T & The MG’s), James Burton, Robbie Robertson, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Peter Green, Duane Allman, Albert King, Freddie King, B.B. King, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix (who was mediocre in that regard imo), Jerry Garcia (less than mediocre ;-), and anyone else you would care to mention. I’m not overlooking Danny Gatton---phrasing wasn’t a priority for him. Phrasing isn’t even a consideration of many guitarists; Gurf milks every note, waiting for the tension created by holding a note to become almost unbearable before releasing that tension with his next. A very sexual player ;-). I will even rank Gurf’s playing on this song equal with Dave Edmunds’ on his fantastic recording of the Smiley Lewis song "I Hear You Knocking" (found on his debut solo album from 1970), still my all-time favorite guitar break (Ry Cooders’ in John Hiatt’s "Lipstick Sunset" is, I concede, more a solo than a break---it strays too far from the song’s melody to be the latter).

And then there is the tone of Gurf's guitar on this break; I’ve seen him live many times, and he always played a Fender Telecaster fitted with single-coil pickups, a guitar and pickups not known for sustain or thick "body" (yes argumentative types, there are exceptions). On this song, however, Gurf’s guitar & amp produce generous sustain and body, sounding much more like a Gibson fitted with double-coil (humbucker) pickups. He uses that sustain in service of his phrasing, and it works beautifully. Gurf’s guitar break/solo on this song is absolutely magnificent!

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